West vs East? Best vs Least? Girl, they're both awes. and I'm happy to be here right now to witness the change in the trees, the rain in the air and people's moods from chipper and sunny to little shut-in cozy-crabs. I've spent the past few days free from obligation in New York, hanging out at my friend Marisa's apartment drinking tea, ordering take-out and watching the first season of Lost. The is my little calm before the little storm of a tour I'm about to embark on with my super-pals E*Rock and Bobby Birdman. We're starting here and working our way back to Portland.
GIRLZ NITE OUT is officially over. There are a couple shows that The Blow will playing as part of the BROZE OWN tour, then Khaela stays on the east for a bit. Khaela, Anna, girls.. I'll miss you. We had a really fun and easy tour together. We didn't really loose any personal articles, we didn't have to sleep anywhere totally gross, and we didn't fight as much as I had expected! There were tears, Tings, hacking coughs, and nothing but good times. Until next time.. something like the spring or summer for The Blow... with our new record.
I left you last in Boston, right? We had shabu-shabu with our Boston friends and jumped in the car for an hour jaunt over to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where Amelia grew up and currently lives. I'd only known Portsmouth with Amelia's sweet guidance and she had left Kittery, ME/Portsmouth, NH a couple days earlier to visit her grandpa in Florida, so when we got there it felt like a sad ghost-town to me. It was really nice to meet the kids there, though. It seems like a lot of awesome people come from the small towns....
Like Providence. We got to Providence with enough time to chill out at Luke and Sarah's new house before the show. Phil and Adrian were playing a sister show around the corner that ended right when our show started. I was a little nervous that two shows on the same night meant one show would be sparsely attended, but I super-wrong. Both shows were packed to the brim and our show even had the espresso man that I love so effing much. Cafe Intelligencia is a totally portable (by bike) dude that sets up at shows in little places like warehouses, etc. I wish he would come on tour with us. Mudboy and Lucky Dragons played a tryped-out set together and I tried this new form of "fake-zooming" with my camera. Mudboy is good people. He built an organ.
REST? We had a day-off in Providence that we devoted to working on Anna's new album artwork for Kill Rock Stars and Khaela's performance at The Kitchen. We took a trip to the fabric store to find some inspiration and then we hit it hard. I realized my dream of making a UPC rainbow (you'll see) after struggling with Illustrator for a good hour or two.
Then we moved on to Bronxville and Sarah Lawrence College. Max Steele charmed the SH out of us again, this time taking us to a late-night tea nook on campus where Khaela and I drank some chamomile/mint tea and almost passed out on the awesome Grateful Dead/sleepy tea/wispy vibes of the tea place. I think Sarah Lawrence is a little miffed that I gave Oberlin such deep propers recently.. Max made a great point.. Sarah Lawrence got an entire entry last time.. remember? S.L. doggs run deep! Thanks to Maggie Murphy for donating her nice dorm room to the stink-em-ups-crew for the night. We really appreciate everything you Sarah Lawrence kids have and have shared with us. THANK YOU.
Two shows left.. two with all three of us, one more with Anna after that, then a couple with Khaela as part of the Broze Own tour. We had trouble in Philly.. some ding-dong kept canceling our shows. I hate it when there's a monopoly in town; ruining it for the kids. Luckily there are also radical kids doing their own thing and putting on small shows on a day's notice. Thank you Herbie! Where else would you get to see Anna Oxygen do an acoustic set? On the tippy top of our radical last-minute Philadelphia show came a stay at Mirah's father's house in Bala Cynwyd where we got to see such gems like this photo of Mirah at age 10? 11?
Baltimore came and went too fast. I love Lexie Mountain deeper than this font on this website could ever convey. I hadn't ever talked to Rjyan at length before and man that kid is funny and nice. I wish we could have spent at least a full day in Baltimore.. I'm sorry we let you down, friends. NEXT TIME. There is ALWAYS a next time in this business. But for now..
WE OUT.
The Girlz Last Nites Out
(16.1 MB - VIDEO MP4)
Unrelated to touring: Julianne, co-wrote an awesome article that you should read.
Truly,
Jona
Ugh....my school's open mic night is the same day as your concert in New York. I guess I'll have to go next time you come to New York (please come back!).
Lovely music.
i can only beg and beg so many times. wont anyone ever play a show in oklahoma?! i saw the new hairy fairy crew in dallas. it was a blast! hey, and thanksgiving played at my friend's apartment about a month ago. keep up the super blogging job
hey. my friend from pdx sent me your MEGA release and i think its fucking great. your shit sounds a lot like some of the stuff i make. so then obviously i'll think you're brilliant. i'm coming to portland november 24th-29th and i was just kinda wondering if you play out often or not. or maybe if you just want to get a coffee or some shit, because i'm thinking of moving out there possibly. otherwise, i just think your album is great. but- if you're into hot gay sex, let me know. kidding. i play out once in a while when i can.....if you want to hear stuff, i update myspace occasionally.
http://www.myspace.com/toiletooth
yes, my name is toiletooth.
but good job on the album, and if you're into hanging out maybe in a month, lemme know. i know 3 people in portland, and they aren't into electronic shit really, so i'm really curious what the scene is like if any. in minneapolis, its TECHNO. so hopefully there's at least gabber there. jk.
thanks-
~jon simon
toiletooth@mn.rr.com
AIM: toiletooth
have a good day.
im kinda bummed girlz nite out never came to its home of pdx. but i understand. weve had out fair share of yachts and blows.
so whats annas deal for record releases, jona? im really antsy when she left us with that 7". i really liked it and want to know when all those songs ive been hearing she play on tour will finally be ready for my listening pleasure.
cudja email me or post in the next entry? thankya jona!
jona, i have been invited to go to devendra banhart's show in london on november 16th and i feel like it might be worth it like it was last time but what i really want to know is will the queens of sheeba, the hairy faeries be there?
From my perspective of music listening, website reading, FAN kind of thing, it makes sense that you should mention Rjyan. I always read his old diary way back in the early nought-noughts, and had, I supppose, ever since finding this site, made a mental link between you and he as good guy journalists of hyper music endeavours.
Thinking about it, his was the first 'blog' I ever read with any regularity, back before I'd even heard that word. Oh, and Icelandic soccer player Aki Riihilahti: http://www.akiriihilahti.com/en/news.shtml
Wow. Internet nostalgia has me in her grasp.
As for LIVE INTERNET VIDEO VOTE, re: charmed life... I vote option 3!
Best wishes.
Hi
I saw you, Anna, and Khaela play in Philly. The whole show was a really great memory for me-- thanks for coming!
This is a bit late, but here are some pictures from that show if you want to see them, keep 'em for posterity:
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That picture of Mirah warms my heart. Make sure to let us know when you play Portland with E-Rock. I saw a show at Holocene that was billed as a collaboration, but everyone played alone.
It seems like you two could kick out a crazy improv set.